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Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
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Last Sunday, Ann, Eric and Calvin Frazenburg shared with field day attendees how they recovered from the August 2020 derecho. With the exception of their house, the Franzenburgs lost every building and crop at Pheasant Run Farm.


Remarkably, they had insurance and were able to build back what they lost. Did you miss this field day? You can still watch this interview with Ann describing her experience the day of the derecho. 


Field day season is winding down. Be sure to check out our final field days as we close out the season. 

NEWS

PFI's Savings Incentive Program

is now accepting applications

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When starting a farm, you are in charge of everything from production to business management. The Savings Incentive Program is a two-year program that helps novice farmers create successful business plans.


This program is ideal for aspiring and beginning farmers who are planning to get started farming, or have been farming for fewer than seven years. 

Apply for PFI's Landowner Coaching Program

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How does your land's productivity affect your rental rates? Want to learn more about your farm's potential? Apply for PFI's Landowner Coaching Program!


Landowners who rent to farmers get a free, custom farm review report with recommendations and achievable, actionable steps on how to make their land more resilient.


Follow this link to see if you qualify.

We're hiring a Latino engagement coordinator

and digital marketing manager

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Come work with us! Practical Farmers of Iowa is hiring a digital marketing manager and Latino engagement coordinator. We're looking for people with a passion for building community and creating positive change.


As PFI's Latino engagement coordinator, you will meaningfully extend our engagement with and service to Iowa’s Latino farmers, aspiring farmers and food system entrepreneurs.

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The digital marketing manager will oversee all aspects of PFI’s digital presence and advertisingand will join a hard-working, curious and adaptable communications and marketing team.


See more details about these open positions on our employment page.

PFI staff have updated email addresses

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Practical Farmers of Iowa recently migrated to a new Microsoft-based domain portal, and so our email addresses have slightly changed, and now include first and last name.


You will still be able to reach us using our old email addresses, but be sure to visit our staff page for our most up-to-date contact information. 

ON THE BLOG

New blog: Why plant winter barley?

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Did you miss our September small grains shared learning call? Read our recap blog!


Chris Wilson, of Wilson Organic Dairy Farms, shared his experiences with double-cropping winter barley with soybeans.


The call also featured Kevin Smith, a professor in agronomy and plant genetics at the University of Minnesota, who shared advances in winter barley breeding. The data and photos in this blog explain why you should consider planting winter barley.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Field day: Growing Cultural Vegetables on Small Urban Plots With Cover Crops

Sept. 25 | 4-6 p.m. | Des Moines, IA


Join Marie Andre and Tika Bhandari to learn about how they raise vegetables, use cover crops and plan to scale up their farms.


Global Greens is an 8.5-acre urban incubator farm program run by Lutheran Services in Iowa that focuses on connecting refugee farmers with land, business assistance and technical support.


A potluck will follow the field day. A main dish will be provided; RSVP here and bring a dish to share!

More upcoming PFI field days

Oct. 5: Regenerative Grazing With Mobile Infrastructure and Livestock Guardian Dogs

Hosted by: JR Jenkins

11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Wilton, IA


Oct. 8: Creating a Diverse Silvopasture Farm on Former Row Crop Ground

Hosted by: Tim Swinton

2-4 p.m. | Clemons, IA

More upcoming events

MEMBERSHIP

Tap into the PFI network

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“No one person has all the answers and there are always new ideas on the horizon,” says Dan Voss, a PFI member who hosted a field day on his Linn County farm in July.


Practical Farmers of Iowa exists for that very reason: to foster a network of farmers, landowners and supporters who are willing to share successes and failures, and encourage one another to improve.


With a membership more than 5,000 strong, there will always be a story you can learn from and a person who can offer advice.


Become a member of Practical Farmers of Iowa to gain access to this network, and during the month of September you will receive some cool swag!

IN THE NEWS

Members in the News

Dave Lubben of Monticello, IA, was featured in the Cascade Pioneer: Conservation Farmer of the Year hosts Naig


Wayne Fredericks of Osage, IA, and Jack Boyer of Reinbeck, IA, were featured in Progressive Farmer: Find Out If Cover Crops Pay

PFI in the News

Sarah Carlson, PFI's senior programs and member engagement director, was featured in The Gazette: New partnership aims for 2 million acres of regenerative agriculture practices


Practical Farmers of Iowa was featured on Reuters: PepsiCo's biggest challenge: winning over millions of farmers to regenerative agriculture

Have you been featured in the media? If you're a PFI member, tell us when and where to find a link to the article, and we'll feature you in a future issue of Practical News.


Contact: maggie.norton@practicalfarmers.org

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